Guide rod locking and releasing mechanism for file drawers

ABSTRACT

A guide rod locking and releasing mechanism for use with file drawers for apertured sheet material. A cam arrangement of simple construction moves the guide rod out smoothly. The guide rod is locked in place by a latch plate such that the front end face of the rod is flush with the front face of the drawer front panel. When it is desired to move the rod forward, a single motion of an operating means hidden within the drawer front panel and accessible through the bottom of the front panel moves the latch plate to release the rod and then operates a cam to move the rod forwardly so that the rod protrudes from the front face of the drawer front panel. The guide rod can then be grasped and pulled out to allow removing or adding sheet material.

United States Patent Savage, deceased [54] GUIDE ROD LOCKING AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR FILE DRAWERS [21] Appl. No: 47,028

[52] US. Cl ..402/63, 402/502 [51] Int. Cl. ..B42f 13/00, B42f 17/16 [58] Field ofSearch ..402/502,6l,63; 24/211 K,

24/211 M, 230 AP, 230 AL, 230 AK; 287/205 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Cafiero et al. ..402/63 Roscoe ..402/61 15] 3,655,292 [451 Apr. 11,1972

329,692 11/1885 Ashford ..24/21 1 M FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,592 1909 Great Britain ..402/61 Pn'mary Examiner-Jerome Schnall Attorney-Henry T. Burke, Robert S. Dunham, P. E. l-Ienninger, Lester W. Clark, Gerald W. Griffin, Thomas F. Moran, Howard J. Churchill, R. Bradlee Boal, Christopher C. Dunham, Robert Scobey and Ivan S. Kavrukov [5 7] ABSTRACT A guide rod locking and releasing mechanism for use with file drawers for apertured sheet material. A cam arrangement of simple construction moves the guide rod out smoothly.

The guide rod is locked in place by a latch plate such that the front end face of the rod is flush with the front face of the drawer front panel. When it is desired to move the rod forward, a single motion of an operating means hidden within the drawer front panel and accessible through the bottom of the front panel moves the latch plate to release the rod and then operates a cam to move the rod forwardly so that the rod protrudes from the front face of the drawer front panel. The guide rod can then be grasped and pulled out to allow removing or adding sheet material.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENTEUAPR H 1972 3 655 292 SHEET 1 OF 2 V In 10 20 22 2/4 INVENTOR.

34 i E FEQBERTHSAVAG T W' 04% (J M ATTORNEY PATENTEDAPR 11 I972 3,655,292

SHEET 2 []F 2 GUIDE ROD LOCKING AND RELEASING MECHANISM FOR FILE DRAWERS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention is in the field of file drawers and in the field of binder devices releasably engaging apertures in sheet material, and particularly relates to locking and releasing mechanisms for guide rods used in file drawers for apertured sheet material such as apertured index cards.

It is common in file drawers to employ a guide rod which passes through the front drawer panel and extends adjacent the bottom panel of the drawer toward the rear panel. The purpose of the guide rod is to pass through apertures in sheet material filed in the drawer so that the sheet material cannot be withdrawn while the rod is in place and so cannot be lost or mixed out of sequence. Sheet material can be added or removed by first removing the guide rod from the drawer.

It is desirable, for the purpose of attaining uncluttered appearance, to provide a guide rod which, when locked in place, has its front face flush with the front face of the drawer front panel. It is further desirable that the means for unlocking the rod and for causing it to emerge from its flush position, so that its head can be grasped to remove the rod for addition or subtraction of card, should itself be completely hidden from view and yet should function simply and efiiciently.

It is known to provide a guide rod latching mechanism which spring-biases the rod forwardly so that when the rod is unlatched it is moved a short distance forwardly by the action of the spring. This concept is embodied in file drawers disclosed by Roscoe, US. Pat. No. 1,918,428 and Cafiero et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,716. The present invention avoids the use of spring bias and provides a simpler yet more efficiently and smoothly operating guide rod locking and releasing mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention is in a guide rod locking and releasing mechanism hidden within the front panel of a file drawer for apertured sheet material. The mechanism includes a latch plate biased toward a first position in which it engages a keeper grove in the head portion of the guide rod to keep the rod latched in place such that its front end face is flush with the front face of the drawer front panel. The latch plate is carried by a pivoted bell crank lever contained wholly within the drawer front panel.

The bell crank lever also carries a cam plate which cooperates with a tapered section in the head portion of the guide rod for moving the guide rod forwardly over a predetermined distance. The bell crank lever is accessible through an opening in the bottom of the file drawer front panel. When the bell crank lever is rotated on its pivot, the latch plate releases the guide rod and then the cam plate starts moving the rod longitudinally forwardly. At the end of the pivotal motion of the bell crank lever, the head section of the guide rod protrudes from the front face of the file drawer front panel to allow grasping the guide rod and pulling it out of the drawer for the purpose of removing or adding sheet material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a file drawer employing an embodiment of the invented guide rod locking and releasing means.

FIG. 2 is a partly elevational and partly sectional front view of the file drawer shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of FIG. 2 and showing the guide rod in latched position.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 but showing the rod unlatched and moved longitudinally forwardly.

FIG. 5 is a bottom elevational view of the front portion of the file drawer shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the front portion of the drawer of FIG. 1 showing a modified guide rod head.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The illustrative file drawer shown in perspective in FIG. 1 is of rectangular cross-section and of the type used for apertured index cards. It includes a front panel 10, a rear panel 12, a leftside panel 14, a right-side panel 16 and a bottom panel 18. A guide rod 20 passes through an aperture 22 in the front panel 10 and extends longitudinally rearwardly adjacent the bottom panel 18 for the purpose of stringing apertured index cards. The guide rod 20 also passes through a suitable aperture 23 in a follower assembly 25.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the locking and releasing mechanism for the guide rod 20 is positioned entirely within a cavity 21 in the drawer front panel 10. The mechanism includes a bell crank lever 24 which is pivoted for swinging motion in the plane of the front panel 10 about a pivot 26 affixed to the front panel 10.

A biasing means in the form of a bow spring 28 is integral with the bell crank lever 24 and abuts a side wall 21a of the cavity 21 in the front panel 10 to bias the bell crank lever 24 clockwise to the normal latching position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The lower portion of the right-hand arm of the bell crank lever 24 constitutes a latch plate 32 which fits in a keeper groove 34 in the enlarged head portion of the guide rod 20 when the bell crank lever 24 is in its normal latching position. In this position of the latch plate 32, the guide rod 20 is latched against longitudinal movement and the front end face 20a of the guide rod 20 is flush with the front end face 10a of the file drawer front panel 10 to present uncluttered appearance of the file drawer.

The left-hand arm of the bell crank lever 24 carries a cam plate 36 composed of plates 36a and 36b separated like the arms of a fork by a slot 38 adapted to receive the shank of the guide rod 20 as the bell crank lever 24 is pivoted counterclockwise by means of manually exerted force on a release button 40 affixed to the lower end of the left-hand arm of the bell crank lever 24. The release button 40 is accessible through an opening 42 in the bottom surface 10b of the drawer front panel 10. The cam plate 36 cooperates with a tapered section 20b of the head portion of the guide rod 20. The tapered section 20b is positioned rearwardly of the keeper groove 34 and tapers rearwardly.

When the guide rod 20 is latched in place as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rod 20, the latch plate 32 and the cam plate 38 are in their respective first positions. At that time the front end face 20a of the rod 20 is flush with the front end face 10a of the plate 10, the latch plate 32 extends into the keeper groove 34 and prevents longitudinal movement of the guide rod 20, and the cam plate 36 is out of engagement with the guide rod When it is desired to release the rod so that the rod can be removed from the file drawer and index cards can be added or removed, the bell crank lever 24 is pivoted counterclockwise by reaching through the bottom opening 42 in the drawer front panel 10 and moving the release button 40 to the right. In this motion, the latch plate 32 is moved to the right and out of the keeper groove 34, as shown in FIG. 4. Additionally, the cam plates 36a and 36b contact the tapered section 20b of the guide rod 20 and, as the pivotal motion of the bell crank lever 24 is continued, the tapered section 20 acts as a cam follower. The guide rod 20 is pushed longitudinally forwardly, and, as the counterclockwise pivotal motion of the bell crank lever 24 continues, the shank portion of the guide rod 20 fits within the slot 38 of the lever 24. The pivotal motion may continue until the left-hand end of the slot 38 is brought to bear against the shank portion of the guide rod 20, or until the right-hand edge of the latch plate 32 is stopped by the side wall 21a of the cavity 21 in the drawer front plate 10, whichever occurs first. At this time the head portion of the guide rod 20 is protruding from the front end face of the front panel 10 and can be grasped and withdrawn manually for the purpose of adding index cards to the file drawer or removing index cards from the file drawer.

When the guide rod 20 is removed from the file drawer and the release button 40 is freed, the bell crank lever 24 returns to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 because of the bow spring 28. When the guide rod 20 is reinserted through aperture 22 in the drawer front panel 10, the shank portion of the rod clears the latch plate 32 and the cam plate 36, and then, as the guide rod 20 is pushed further into the drawer, its tapered section 20b pushes the latch plate 32 to the right and thus pivots the bell crank lever 24 counterclockwise against the bias of the spring 28. As the guide rod 20 is pushed further in, its keeper groove 34 is aligned with the latch plate 32 and the latch plate snaps into the keeper groove 34 as urged by the spring 28. The rod 20 is now latched in place and its front end face 28 is flush with the front end face a of the drawer front panel 10.

The cavity 42 through which the button 40 can be accessed for the purpose of releasing the latch mechanism is best seen in FIGS. 2 and 5. The cavity 42 includes a portion 42a which allows reaching the side of the button 40 opposite the guide rod for the purpose of pushing the button 40 toward the guide rod 20 to release the guide rod and to push it forwardly to a position at which its head portion can be grasped to withdraw the rod.

FIG. 6 shows a modified guide rod 46 whose shank portion is the same as that of the guide rod 20 but whose head portion 46: is rectangular in a section in the plane of the drawer front panel 10. The rectangular head portion 460 includes a rearwardly tapering section 460 whose function is the same as the function of the tapered section 201: of the guide rod 20, and includes a groove 46b whose function is the same as that of the groove 34 of the guide rod 20. The guide rod 46 is latched in place, and released and moved forwardly in the same manner as the guide rod 20.

What is claimed is:

I. A file drawer for apertured sheet material, said drawer having a guide rod passing through an aperture in the drawer front panel and extending longitudinally adjacent the drawer bottom panel for stringing filed sheet material, said guide rod including a head portion receivable within the aperture, said head portion having a keeper groove in a plane substantially transverse to the long axis of the rod and spaced from the front end face of the rod, said head portion also including a longitudinally rearwardly tapered section, wherein the improvement is in a guide rod locking and releasing mechanism enclosed within the drawer front panel and comprising:

a. latch means including a latch plate movable in a plane substantially parallel to the front face of the drawer front panel and having a latching position for engaging the guide rod to latch it into a first rod position in which the front end face of the rod is substantially flush with the front face of the drawer front panel, and movable to a latch releasing position in which it does not engage the rod, said latch plate extending within the rod keeper groove when in the latching position, but clearing the keeper groove when in the latch-releasing position;

b. cam means including a cam plate movable from an inactive position through a range of active positions, said cam plate having an offset surface engaging the tapered section of the guide rod head portion in at least a part of said range for moving the rod longitudinally forwardly to attain forward displacement of the rod front end face from the front face of the drawer front panel, said cam plate moving substantially parallel to the front face of the drawer front panel and cooperating with said tapered section of the guide rod head portion for moving the rod 1ongitudinally forwardly when the cam plate is moved from its inactive position through its range of active positions;

. means biasing the latch means and the cam means toward their latching and inactive positions respectively; and

d. operating means for moving the latch means from the latching position to the latch-releasing position and for moving the cam means from the inactive position through the range of active positions, thereby releasing the rod and causing the cam means to move the rod longitudinally forwardly. 2. A file drawer or apertured sheet material, said drawer having a guide rod passing through an aperture in the drawer front panel and extending longitudinally adjacent the drawer bottom panel for stringing filed sheet material, said guide rod including a head portion receivable within the aperture, said head portion having a keeper groove in a plane substantially transverse to the long axis of the rod and spaced from the front end face of the rod, said head portion also including a longitudinally rearwardly tapered section, wherein the improvement is in a guide rod locking and releasing mechanism enclosed within the drawer front panel and comprising:

a. latch means including a latch plate movable in a plane substantially parallel to the front face of the drawer front panel and having a latching position for engaging the guide rod to latch it into a first rod position in which the front end face of the rod is substantially flush with the front face of the drawer front panel, and movable to a latch releasing position in which it does not engage the rod, said latch plate extending within the rod keeper groove when in the latching position, but clearing the keeper groove when in the latch-releasing position;

b. cam means including a cam plate movable from an inactive position through a range of active positions, said cam plate having an offset surface engaging the tapered section of the guide rod head portion in at least a part of said range for moving the rod longitudinally forwardly to attain forward displacement of the rod front end face from the front face of the drawer front panel, said cam plate moving at a substantial angle to the plane including the longitudinal axis of the guide rod and cooperating with said tapered section of the guide rod head portion for moving the rod longitudinally forwardly when the cam plate is moved from its inactive position through its range of active positions;

c. means biasing the latch means and the cam means toward their latching and inactive positions respectively; and

d. operating means for moving the latch means from the latching position to the latch-releasing position and for moving the cam means from the inactive position through the range of active positions, thereby releasing the rod and causing the cam means to move the rod longitudinally forwardly.

3. A file drawer as in claim 2 including in said operating means a bell crank lever carrying said latch means and said cam plate, and including means pivotally connecting said bell crank lever to the file drawer front panel.

4. A file drawer as in claim 3 including in said biasing means a bow spring carried by said bell crank lever.

5. A file drawer as in claim 4 including, in said file drawer front panel, means defining an opening through the bottom face of the front panel for allowing manual access to said bell crank lever for the purpose of pivoting the lever.

6. A file drawer as in claim 5 including, in said bell crank lever, a slot positioned and dimensioned to receive the guide rod when the cam plate is moving through its range of active positions.

7. A file drawer as in claim 2 wherein the cam plate moves substantially perpendicularly to the plane including the longitudinal axis of the guide rod.

8. A file drawer as in claim 2 wherein said head portion of the guide rod is substantially rectangular in transverse crosssection.

* a a a UNITED STATES PATENT oFrIcE CERTIFICATE OF CURRECTIGN Patent No. 3 ,65 992 Da ed April 11 197? Inventor(s) RObGIt H. Savage It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the title page, the name of the Assi nee should read Knoll International, Inc.

Signed and sealed this 9th day of January 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents -'ORM PO-105O (10-69) USCOMM-DC 50376-P69 9 U 3. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I959 O-366-334 

1. A file drawer for apertured sheet material, said drawer having a guide rod passing through an aperture in the drawer front panel and extending longitudinally adjacent the drawer bottom panel for stringing filed sheet material, said guide rod including a head portion receivable within the aperture, said head portion having a keeper groove in a plane substantially transverse to the long axis of the rod and spaced from the front end face of the rod, said head portion also including a longitudinally rearwardly tapered section, wherein the improvement is in a guide rod locking and releasing mechanism enclosed within the drawer front panel and comprising: a. latch means including a latch plate movable in a plane substantially parallel to the front face of the drawer front panel and having a latching position for engaging the guide rod to latch it into a first rod position in which the front end face of the rod is substantially flush with the front face of the drawer front panel, and movable to a latch releasing position in which it does not engage the rod, said latch plate extending within the rod keeper groove when in the latching position, but clearing the keeper groove when in the latchreleasing position; b. cam means including a cam plate movable from an inactive position through a range of active positions, said cam plate having an offset surface engaging the tapered section of the guide rod head portion in at least a part of said range for moving the rod longitudinally forwardly to attain forward displacement of the rod front end face from the front face of the drawer front panel, said cam plate moving substantially parallel to the front face of the drawer front panel and cooperating with said tapered section of the guide rod head portion for moving the rod longitudinally forwardly when the cam plate is moved from its inactive position through its range of active positions; c. means biasing the latch means and the cam means toward their latching and inactive positions respectively; and d. operating means for moving the latch means from the latching position to the latch-releasing position and for moving the cam means from the inactive position through the range of active positions, thereby releasing the rod and causing the cam means to move the rod longitudinally forwardly.
 2. A file drawer for apertured sheet material, said drawer having a guide rod passing through an aperture in the drawer front panel and extending longitudinally adjacent the drawer bottom panel for stringing filed sheet material, said guide rod including a head portion receivable within the aperture, said head portion having a keeper groove in a plane substantially transverse to the long axis of the rod and spaced from the front end face of the rod, said head portion also including a longitudinally rearwardly tapered section, wherein the improvement is in a guide rod locking and releasing mechanism enclosed within the drawer front panel and comprising: a. latch means including a latch plate movable in a plane substantially parallel to the front face of the drawer front panel and having a latching position for engaging the guide rod to latch it into a first rod position in which the front end face of the rod is substantially flush with the front face of the drawer front panel, and movable to a latch releasing position in which it does not engage the rod, said latch plate extending within the rod keeper groove when in the latching position, but clearing the keeper groove when in the latch-releasing position; b. cam means including a cam plate movable from an inactive position through a range of active positions, said cam plate having an offset surface engaging the tapered section of the guide rod head portion in at least a part of said range for moving the rod longitudinally forwardly to attain forward displacement of the rod front end face from the front face of the drawer front panel, said cam plate moving at a substantial angle to the plane including the longitudinal axis of the guide rod and cooperating with said tapered section of the guide rod head portion for moving the rod longitudinally forwardly when the cam plate is moved from its inactive position through its range of activE positions; c. means biasing the latch means and the cam means toward their latching and inactive positions respectively; and d. operating means for moving the latch means from the latching position to the latch-releasing position and for moving the cam means from the inactive position through the range of active positions, thereby releasing the rod and causing the cam means to move the rod longitudinally forwardly.
 3. A file drawer as in claim 2 including in said operating means a bell crank lever carrying said latch means and said cam plate, and including means pivotally connecting said bell crank lever to the file drawer front panel.
 4. A file drawer as in claim 3 including in said biasing means a bow spring carried by said bell crank lever.
 5. A file drawer as in claim 4 including, in said file drawer front panel, means defining an opening through the bottom face of the front panel for allowing manual access to said bell crank lever for the purpose of pivoting the lever.
 6. A file drawer as in claim 5 including, in said bell crank lever, a slot positioned and dimensioned to receive the guide rod when the cam plate is moving through its range of active positions.
 7. A file drawer as in claim 2 wherein the cam plate moves substantially perpendicularly to the plane including the longitudinal axis of the guide rod.
 8. A file drawer as in claim 2 wherein said head portion of the guide rod is substantially rectangular in transverse cross-section. 